Gas crisis pushes kiranas to stock ready-to-eat food as demand spikes

MORE NEIGHBOURHOOD STORES are stocking ready-made meals as demand rises from households coping with the LPG shortage triggered by the war in West Asia.

- VIVEAT SUSAN PINTO

Data from Bizom, a business intelligence platform, shows kirana growth in the first two weeks of March for ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) products at 2.9%, compared with 3% for the full month of February and a decline of 0.3% in January 2026.Last year, kirana growth for RTE and RTC stood at 2.6% in the first fortnight of March. While the year-on-year growth is marginal, Bizom says the gap may widen as March progresses and the fuel shortage becomes more acute, with the war entering its third week.